All posts by Brian Wray

A team with no money just won the English Premier League. Vegas had them at 5,000-1 odds. Nobody, including their mothers, picked them to win the title. But it’s clear to me how this happened. To hijack a line from the film Moneyball, “We are card counters at the blackjack table and we’re going to turn the odds on the casino.” Here’s what transpired… Leicester City flipped the script on the excruciatingly top heavy Premier League. A league in which 3 powerhouse clubs have dominated title wins for over 100Read More

After months of hype, rumors, mudslinging, and conjecture… we are only at the starting line. But at least we finally know who our two major party candidates will be. So what’s next? A lot more chatter and hype. But eventually we WILL arrive at our first presidential debate. So in preparation for that epic September night, here is the official Trump/Clinton drinking game to get you through proceedings. Take ONE shot EVERY TIME the following occurs: – Hillary coughs or shows signs of illness – Trump mentions his wealth –Read More

In the age of virtual reality, it’s never been easier to avoid actual reality. It’s acceptable now to send digital messages over speaking face-to-face, to surf your phone while out on a date, and to wear earphones in both ears while driving (this one bothers me the most for some reason). But there’s a centuries old practice which still remains the most effective way to produce and cultivate relationships. Going out for beers. It’s simple, yet often overlooked. Having beers is a social convention that dissolves all differences and bringsRead More

Novak Djokovic won the Miami Open over the weekend, breaking all kinds of records in the process. His 6th Miami Open title, 27th Masters title, and dangerously close to earning more prize money than the untouchable one… Roger Federer. Nobody can beat him, or even win a set off of him. He’s won 22 sets in a row without much resistance, and has rendered even the best servers unable to hold serve. What is he doing that’s so special? It begins and ends with the brain, duh. Mental tennis DuringRead More

SAN DIEGO, CA – If I’m sitting at my desk at 1am, clutching a coffee mug, it has to be January, and it has to be a night session match of the Australian Open. Indeed, it’s Federer against Djokovic, for the 45th time. #UpAllNight has become an annual tradition for me since I began following tennis in 2011. For two weeks out of the year, I forgo conventional Pacific Time Zone hours to indulge in all of the action of the tournament I love. But for the first week of thisRead More

CHULA VISTA, CA – No matter your age, it’s always a great time to follow your passion. This is a mantra many of us forget as we grow older, but not Ruben Montoya. Since his early 20s, Ruben has been selflessly producing and engineering music for a variety of other bands, helping them gain notoriety in the local San Diego music scene. But now, in his late 40s, Ruben is finally embarking on a new type of project. His own. This is Chill The Giant. Chill The Giant In 2015,Read More

Tennis is a young person’s sport. A player’s prime is normally between the ages of 23-27. But the average age of this year’s top 8 men is 29.6 years old. In fact, there’s only a single man under the age of 28. So with the 2015 race to London featuring so many veterans, does the tournament really mean anything for the younger players of the ATP as we move towards next season? The answer is a resounding no. Instead, it’s for the fans. Perspective When you think about this year’sRead More

Modern baseball managers are wimps. They treat their players like prized hams, and make decisions that defy all common sense and logic. But it’s all in the name of keeping their job. Because job security is non-existent, managers are never allowed to truly relax. They make decisions that they can explain away in job interviews the following winter. It’s time for an overhaul. I would be the greatest manager that major league baseball has ever seen. Most of a manager’s failures are the result of doing too much. That’s whyRead More

It’s January of 2009, and 21 year old Novak Djokovic has just retired from his 4th Grand Slam match in only his 17th appearance. While trailing American Andy Roddick in the 4th set, Djokovic complained of sickness due to the sweltering Australian heat. Were used to this sort of thing by now. Novak is not a fighter… yet. Many fans sadistically viewed this Aussie retirement as karma after an ugly verbal incident between the two men at the previous year’s U.S. Open. Roddick had flippantly remarked that Novak was alwaysRead More

When you watch a lot of tennis, and are opinionated, it only makes sense that you need to document your enthusiasm. During the U.S. Open Men’s 4th round match between Roger Federer and John Isner, I got a little excited, and decided to do just that. Here’s how it went down: FIRST SET: Wow, John Isner, what a fine serve you have. Can you teach me bro? Federer, you just returned a 138mph serve, how does it feel? It looks really humid in New York. I’m glad I’m in SanRead More

At 19 years of age, most of us have no idea what we want to do for our weekend, let alone a career. And virtually none of us are traveling the world performing music. In the ever-populating suburb of Temecula, CA, lives a teenager who is already turning these ambitions into reality. Welcome to the life of Hunter Pea. The talented guitarist might be young, but he has the musical IQ of a person twice his age, and a drive for success that some people never attain. Since his early days of youth,Read More

Boys will be boys, and sometimes men will still act as boys. This sociological truth transcends even the most gentlemanly of sports, including tennis. But the altercation involving Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka was different than most on-court arguments, even by tennis standards. The personal nature of the infamous sledge wasn’t the first of its kind, and it won’t be the last. In case you missed it, Aussie Nick Kyrgios made a comment during his match against Wawrinka that “Kokkinakis banged [Wawrinka’s] girlfriend.” He muttered it under his breath, butRead More

On part 2 of my “Big City Poetry” series, I examine the intellectual heart valve that is Washington D.C. I pretentious it up with a bit of lame-ambic pentameter (see what I did there?) based on my experience visiting the Capitol city. Big City Poetry: D.C.’s the Brain The August recess makes this public sector hotspot feel oddly ghostlike. This isn’t the real D.C., it’s not alive enough. For an authentic experience you must wait until the leaves change. It’s then you’ll know… When bureaucrats strut through awakened streets withRead More

With the American hard court season upon us (the men take over Montreal this week), all eyes will be on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The former will begin a quest to win his second U.S. Open title after 3 consecutive years of earlier losses. Meanwhile, the world number 9, Nadal will aim to re-establish himself as a grand slam threat. But these two are not the only top stories as we sail into the North American hard courts… Where is Dimi? At this time last year, the tennis universeRead More

Ah, it feels great to be back. After a many month hiatus from the world of Writtalin, I have returned to try my hands at something a bit different. Poetry. On a recent trip to the Apple of Bigness, I decided to wet my chops in this field, and am looking to turn ‘Big City Poetry’ into a series of chronicles from cities around the states. Although I’ve never done this before, I figured it never hurts to try a hand at something pretentious. Enjoy. The Air of NYC JulyRead More